After the Vatican, we took a bus back over the Tiber River and just got off somewhere. We had landed next to the Church of St John the Baptist of the Florentines, so we stopped in. It was yet another giant, imposing church with plenty of baroque painting on the inside. On the painting, I’ll say this – I found it interesting, but I must admit that I am personally not a big fan of the style, especially for religious subjects. While I can appreciate the aesthetic, it’s more from a clinical perspective.
Anyway, after that we continued walking toward the center of town, and stopped at the Sacred Area of Largo di Torre Argentino, which features the ruins of four ancient temples, built between 4th-2nd centuries BC. (See the top photo.)
Interestingly, a volunteer group runs a cat shelter from the ruins. As in Greece, stray cats seem to like hanging out in the ancient ruins, so what better place to run the shelter? The group even gives tours of the ruins in exchange for a small donation to their project. Of course, Pelagia stopped to play with the cats and talk to the shelter workers.
After that, we stopped for dinner. (The food in Rome was great, by the way!) The second photo is of the accordion player who serenaded us all.
After dinner, we walked over to the famous Trevi Fountain and then the Spanish Steps (photos 3 and 4). They were both packed with people. The Fountain in particular made a very nice place to just sit for awhile and enjoy the sights and sounds of the water.
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